Page 52 of Her Paramedic
When Kaydence and Axel returned with their drinks, she took a sip of hers, wincing at how strong it was before stirring it. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t driving, and a little liquor in her system would either help her keep up with whatever Slate planned to do to her that night or make her a pliant little pillow princess. Either way, she’d win.
After she finished her drink, she pulled her boyfriend onto the dance floor and they danced to a couple of songs before she asked him to get her some water. He walked her over to the table and asked the group if they wanted anything before he and Nova, who volunteered to help him carry the drinks, headed to the bar.
“Will you come to the bathroom with me?” Alivia asked before Talia could sit.
“Sure,” she responded, and they headed to the ladies’ room.
Instead of going into the bathroom, Alivia pulled her past it to the emergency exit, away from everyone. The music in the central area was muffled.
“I wasn’t doing whatever you think I was. I wasn’t trying to be funny. I wanted to know how much it was because I thought it would be nice to get for Mama, Nana, and me,” Alivia said.
Talia hadn’t even thought that was what Alivia wanted to know for, and she felt bad for thinking she was starting up with her Slate dislike train again. The bracelets could be set in different ways, and since Alivia typically only saw her mom and grandmother two to three times a year, it would be a nice way to always be together, in a sense.
“I didn’t think of that. I’m sorry,” Talia apologized. “It’s just—”
“I know,” Alivia cut in. “I haven’t done myself any favors recently when it comes to your relationship, and I can’t blame you for thinking I was trying to start something, but I meant what I said. I’m fine as long as he doesn’t give me a reason not to be. I also apologize if I upset you. It honestly wasn’t my intention, but if he’d said something like they were five hundred dollars apiece, then I wouldn’t have had my hopes up for them being something I could purchase without saving for the occasion and wasted my time looking.” Talia nodded, and Alivia pulled her into a hug. “Come on. Let’s get back.”
They returned to the table, and several minutes later, Slate and Nova returned with drinks. The night continued without the sourness that Talia had thought would settle.
“Baby,” Talia called, gaining Slate’s attention as he removed her shoes later that night.
“Yeah, gorgeous?”
“I wanted to apologize for what happened with Alivia. Even though she told me why she was asking, she could have gone about it differently.”
“Why are you apologizing for her?” he asked, standing.
“I’m…apologizing for the situation.”
“One that she caused. So why are you apologizing?”
“I don’t want any bad blood between you two,” Talia told him honestly.
“There isn’t any. I don’t care that she doesn’t like me,” he responded, pulling her up and slowly removing her dress.
“It’s not that she doesn’t like you. She’s protective. My relationship track record isn’t the best. I dive headfirst into them too quickly. Then the other person and I are seldom on the same page. She’s always there to make me feel better when it blows up in my face. She just doesn’t want that happening again.”
Slate undid the buttons on his shirt with one hand as he reached behind her and unclasped her bra with the other. “You and I are on the same page, in the same book, on the same line,” he responded, tossing her bra aside. He removed his shirt. “Right now, I need us to be on a page that does not include talking about Alivia and has everything to do with you screaming my name.”
Talia’s pussy tightened in reflex at his words, and warmth pooled in her stomach. “Yeah,” she stated as he picked her up and laid her on the bed. “I want to be on that page,” she responded before his lips covered hers and his hand snaked between them.
15
Slate had just finished making them breakfast when Talia entered the kitchen wearing a peach sundress. She’d still been asleep when he’d gotten up almost an hour ago. She kissed him as she passed him to the cabinet and took down plates and cups, sitting them on the counter.
“Thank you, gorgeous,” he said as she went to the refrigerator to take out the orange juice. “You want to continue the series we started last night as we eat?” he asked while she poured drinks, knowing that she did. If she hadn’t been drifting off last night, he was sure she would have tried to watch all eight episodes then.
“Ooh yes. The last episode ended on a cliffhanger, and I’m eager to see what happens,” she replied.
Slate carried the plates into the living room while Talia brought the drinks. They settled on the couch, and he brought up the show, starting the episode they left off on.
Once they finished the first episode, they cleaned the kitchen together and then Talia pulled him back to the couch to continue watching the show. They’d made it through one more episode when there was a knock at the door. Talia paused the current episode while Slate went to the door.
“I have a package for Slate Stoll,” the delivery person on the other side of the door informed him when he opened it.
“That’s me.”
“Sign here, please,” they requested, passing him the topaz. Slate signed and received the package. He knew what it was and had been expecting it. “Thank you. Have a nice day.”
